Russian fish factory Verano caught fire in Cape Town

The Russian fish factory Verano caught fire at the dock in Cape Town, South Africa. The vessel was moored at the cargo terminal, docked since June 2015 with 5 crew on board, but styrofoam containers inflamed after welding works on the main deck. A thick black smoke is billowing around and fire spread to the navigation deck. The accident was reported to the local authorities and 12 emergency vehicles attended the scene. The five crew members from the fish factory Verano were evacuated to the shore without injuries. At the area of fire there are 800,000 styrofoam containers, as well as 100 tons of fuel. The firefighting is under way, but fire teams cannot get control over the flames yet.

The black think smoke is covering the area around the terminal. The residents living near the port, were warned to keep doors and windows closed to prevent intoxication from the smoke. There is no danger for the civilians in vicinity, but firefighters and pouring water over the flames and burning compartment. Later to the firefighters joined one harbor tug, which attacked the flames from the water.

The investigation for the circumstances and root cause of the fire is under investigation. There is no report about injuries and water pollution.

The fish factory Verano (IMO: 7375868) has overall length of 97.20 m, moulded beam of 16.00 m, depth of 10.00 m and maximum draft of 5.00 m. The deadweight of the vessel is 3,535 DWT and the gross tonnage is 3,979 GRT. The fish factory Verano was built in 1975 by Shikoku Dockyard in Takamatsu, Japan.